TEMPE, AZ — Tempe officials confirmed on Wednesday that the manager over several units that have a history of issues inside the police department has announced his retirement after two years on the job.
In a statement, city officials say that Wil Price will retire from the Tempe Police Department on April 19.
“He first served Tempe Police Department from 1982 to 2003 as a sworn officer. He retired as a sergeant, then returned as a professional staff member in 2022 where he has since served as Manager of the Police Analytics Bureau,” the statement read.
The Police Analytics Bureau is made up of several units including the Forensic Services Unit and the Technical Services Unit.
The ABC15 Investigators have been reporting for months into problems inside the Forensic Services Unit and the Technical Services Unit that go back years.
Price was named in a recent Notice of Claim by a former police officer who claims he was retaliated against for blowing the whistle about problems inside the technology unit.
Officer Anthony Chiaro claims he faced retaliation after filing whistleblower complaints about the misuse of public dollars, and brand-new equipment that sat unused for years inside the Tempe Police Department.
Chiaro worked for Tempe police for more than 20 years and spent nearly a decade in the department’s Technical Services Unit. This unit handles all technology-related issues for police officers.
The ABC15 Investigators have also reported on issues inside the Forensic Services Unit where crime scene technicians lacked proper equipment and standards while processing crime scenes.
Tempe officials said in a statement on Wednesday:
“Chief Kenneth McCoy is continuing his work to transform the Tempe Police Department into one of the country’s top agencies. The department is doing leading work to counter street racing, to curb the number of serious injury collisions and is opening a Real Time Operations Center in the coming months. We would consider scheduling interviews on those topics at a future date.”
